William g



(No Model.)

W. G. TOWER.

WASHBOARD.

No. 584,970. Patented June 22, 1897.

M 1. WW? w@ w 3.

A UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM G. TOWER, OF MURRIETTA, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ABRAM B. BURNETT, OF SAME PLACE.

WASHBOARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 584,970, dated June 22, 1897.

Application filed September 9, 1896. Serial No. 605,248. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM G. TOWER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Murrietta, in the county of Riverside and State of. California, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Washboards, of which the following-is a specification.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in washboard attachments, and has for its object to provide a device by means of which a washboard may be securely held in place within a tub without the liability of riding upward when its surface is being operated upon; and another object of this invention' is to provide a surface upon which the clothes may be rubbed which will produce the same effect thereon as the ordinary corrugated board, while at the same time it will permit the passage of the water and dirt, which are removed fromthe clothes, through the meshes and slots in the back-board, from whence said water and dirt may gain access to the water within the tub, where it will be taken up and diluted so as not to again gain access to the clothes.

With these ends in view this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then specifically designated by the claim.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same, the construction and operation will now be described in detail, referring to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a section of a wash tub and board placed therein, the latter being built in ac cordance with my improvements; and Fig. 2, a perspective of such a board.

In carrying out my invention I construct the washboard of side bars A, a back-board B, and a face-board G, the latter havingcrossslots D therein, as clearly shown, and over this face-board is placed the rubbing-surface E, consisting of a wire-netting composed of about No. 14 gage wire with a quarter-inch mesh, and in practice I prefer to have this netting galvanized, so as to prevent the rusting of the wire. Now it is obvious that when clothes are rubbed upon this wire surface that the dirt extracted therefrom, together with the water squeezed out of said clothes, will pass through the meshes of the wire and onto the face-board, from whence it will flow through the slots to the back-board, and running down the same gain access to the water in the tub without having to again be rubbed into the clothes.

The other feature of my invention, which consists of a device for preventing the upriding of the board when its surface is being operated on, is constructed of an arm F, pivoted at G to the cross-bar H, and having pivoted to this upper end the clamp I, which is provided with a thumb-screw J for securing the clamp to the upper edge of the tub, so that to attach a board to a tub it is only necessary to slide the clamp over the upper edge of said board and turn up the thumb-screw.

While it is impossible for a board to slide upward when applied with my improvement, it may be swung vertically, as shown in Fig. 2, or it may be lifted entirely out of the tub without removing the clamp, and this greatly facilitates the placing of clothes within the tub or the removing of the same therefrom.

One of the principal advantages of my improvement is that it may be cheaply constructed, and so simple in operation that it may be applied by a person of ordinary intelligence, and will also facilitate the washin g of clothes by reducing the amount of labor necessary to extract the dirt therefrom, since the dirt is immediately removed after being extracted from the clothes.

Having thus fully described this invention,

what is claimed as new and useful is In combination with a washboard, an arm pivoted to the cross-bar thereof and extending rearwardly therefrom, a clamp pivoted to said arm and adapted to be secured to a tub, as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. 1

WILLIAM G. TOWER. Witnesses:

S. S. WILLIAMSON, A. B. BURNETT. 

